On 11th of January, around sixty Galician local authorities met in the town of Ribeira on the occasion of the launching Technical Office of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (CoM).

According to the Regional Counsellor for Environment, Territory and Housing, Ángeles Vázquez, who introduced the meeting: “The Xunta de Galicia, through the Regional Ministry of Environment, Territory and Housing, initiated the Technical Office of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy to convey the work of the whole Galician Community in the world's largest movement of local authorities to combat climate change.”

The counsellor recognized that Galicia Region, thanks to its role of Covenant coordinator, is best placed to move forward the initiatives that are carried out in the region, in order to make sure to comply with the 2030 objectives set at European level.

She explained that the Galician Technical Office of the CoM will be a direct interlocutor of the councils, an instrument that will provide local entities with information on the regulatory, legislative and economic framework. The office will also give personalized advice and identify possible synergies.

The Technical Office of the CoM for Climate and Energy will help all local council to elaborate their own Sustainable Energy (and Climate) Action Plan and to draft their Adaptation Plan. It will foster the creation of links between councils, in order to launch joint actions between administrations, to effectively face great global challenges and reach goals that would otherwise be unattainable.

The counsellor explained that this office will also monitor funding opportunities, to inform the different councils and to advise them on where to find the necessary resources to implement their actions and reach their commitments. It will also be responsible for implementing other types of services, such as holding workshops or create a council assistance centre.

The counsellor invited the Galician councils to join the Covenant of Mayors: global challenges such as climate change must be addressed from the towns and cities in a united way, that is, "think global, act local". Many of the attendees have already expressed their interest in joining the CoMmunity!